Can anybody educate me about folding PE to make solid constructions?

>>547952
Most likely other /po/opers are going to bitch about this thread but whatevs.
Laser cutting could work but that's really expensive for such a niche use. better to use a plastic heat bender, not too hard to make or you could buy one. TAP plastic has a tutorial and instruction on its use, also lots of nifty things;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkjsPrWT0Ic
for smaller pieces I'd suggest using a heat gun, possibly cover delicate parts of the plastic with an insulator, maybe wool sheets or something, to prevent too large of an area melting. You can also find tutorials on making those if you want. They're also the best way to bind PE since it's all but impossible to glue together. I believe TAOW on youtube has a video or two about fusing together HDPE parts with a heat gun. For making sheets or recycling failed pieces you can 'melt' it at about 350 degrees F and clamp it down between wax paper and wood or into certain molds like a metal pipe for dowels or wooden molds or milled aluminum molds under pressure (injection molding tutorials also on teh youtubes).

>>547952
>>547986
Oh and make sure not to mix low and high density PE, they wont mix and will cause weaker sections that'll likely fracture. Melting down LDPE like from grocery bags and making sheets with that would be easier to bend since it'll lose rigidity quicker at its melting point. Searching for Precious Plastic on youtube will lead to a series on identifying and sorting different types of plastic as well as designs for recycling machines which may be up your alley.

>>547987
>Melting down LDPE like from grocery bags and making sheets with that would be easier

Hold on, that works? Not OP, but I "need" a bunch of cheap thin plastic sheets for an art project. What temperature would you need to melt regular grocery bags?

>>548002
Also, is it safe? What I mean is... would it be possible to do that in a kitchen with a standard stove or baking oven without poisoning yourself with the fumes?

>>547986
Well thank you dude! That is some high quality post.
Take some ODB to make your day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKw5mBh4rYs

After doing some research i found that these bending devices are sold in several dimensions. These are made from metal though.

>>548016
sry forgot to paste link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3PLRZUbPJQ
Apparently it takes 8 Eastern Europeans to run that machine.

>>548020
That's a big sheet.

Really surprised no one's complained yet, /po/ol's asleep I guess.
>>548003
polyethylene plastic (HDPE or LDPE) doesn't release any fumes when melting unless you burn it using too high of a temperature so it's safe. You can use a garbage-tier stainless pot with a little oil in it to melt down small stuff like some bags but to me this is beyond stupid and results in an oily mess that can burn (ignore people who show this method, it's subpar). Using a spare baking tin or cookie sheet works fine, you don't need to lubricate it, just make sure not to go above the melting point for a long time with your oven, alot of people just set it to 350 F and it's fine. It's also useful to use a crap toaster oven if you're concerned about burning it, you can do it outside. Also PE doesn't break down, if you fuck up while shaping it or it buckles while cooling you can just remelt it again. Also be aware it doesn't turn liquid, more like an amorphous solid similar to putty and it will warp when cooling so clamp it down between something flat.

>>548033
>>548003
Fuck, didn't mean to say you can melt it directly on metal, if using a cookie sheet or something in an oven put some parchment paper on it first. (wax paper might work but I don't know.

Also I haven't seen much done with it but recycling soda bottles and the like made of PET
plastic can also be done for more flexible sheets I'd guess and I've seen that you can adhere pieces together after boiling it for a little bit and sticking it together. as a WARNING though, this shit will release toxic fumes when melted so do that shit outside with a toaster oven and a hot plate.

>>548035
*boiling in water

>>548022
For you.

>>548033
>>548035
Alright, thank you! I really never thought of recycling plastic myself, kinda assumed it's beyond DIY because of fumes and/or temperature. Gonna look into it.

Look into bar heat sealers too OP. They work really well if you're bending with straight through lines.

>>548047

>>>/vip